Federal Prisons

By aligning Amerikans' immediate interests with their long-term interests, the militarization of the U.$./Mexico border has become a machine that will not likely slow down on its own. This machine is propelled by the imperialist politicians, imperialist businessmen (often the same people), and the Amerikan labor aristocracy. This collusion of interests at a time when Amerikan hegemony is fragile spells danger for the oppressed nations, in particular for Aztlán.

National Public Radio (NPR) released a report this week exposing financial and political connections between the Correctional Corporation of America (CCA) and those behind Arizona's oppressive SB1070 law.(1) The law, which is still under judicial review after being put on hold, legalizes racial profiling and empowers state police to enforce federal immigration laws in the process. The scandal, now being denied by the bill's sponsor Senator Russell Pearce and others, is that they passed the law to increase their income and the profits of their corporate backers.

Without SB1070, CCA was getting an estimated $117 million a year from the federal government for imprisoning migrants. Meanwhile, Wackenhut/G4S, the next largest private prison company, has a $76 million a year contract to bus migrants around the border for the U.$. government. Of course, both of these sums are chump change compared to the $3.6 billion budget for Border Patrol in 2010.(2) All of this is federal money going to the oppressor nation to do its thing — oppress.

The essence of what is going on is Amerikans getting paid a lot of money to make sure Amerikans get paid a lot of money. That's why the border exists and why it must be militarized. If it is not, the masses whose labor value has been stolen and exported to the United $tates would come here to benefit from the fruits of their labor. Without closed borders, we can't keep the wealth inside.

The NPR report exposes the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), an organization of state legislators and powerful corporations that get together to draft and propose laws (see figure above). The companies pay tens of thousands of dollars to attend such meetings with those who make the law. And according to NPR, the number of legislators who sponsored SB1070 was almost unprecedented and 30 out of the 36 received contributions from prison companies or prison lobbyists in the 6 months following SB1070's passage. Meanwhile, two of Arizona Governor Jan Brewer's top advisers are former prison lobbyists.(1) All of this makes CCA's and Sen. Pearce's denials of corporate influence look silly.

None of this is new to CCA, which was founded in Nashville, Tennessee by former chairman of the state Republican Party, Tom Beasley and his former roomy from the U.$. Military Academy at West Point, Doc Crants. Initial investors included the governor's wife, Honey Alexander, and the Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives, Ned McWherter.(3) Ever since then, their business model has relied on close political ties just as most military, defense and security business does. Apparently, CCA agrees with MIM(Prisons)'s assessment that migrants are and will continue to be the fastest growing prison population in the United $tates. But while we are fighting this trend, CCA is doing all they can to foster it.

When imperialism reaches the point where the arms of oppression are major sources of profiteering, and the people are dependent on these operations for their paychecks and standards of living (i.e. where oppression and the oppressors' financial interests become one in the same), we will see the national contradictions within imperialism heighten rapidly. This leads to increased repression both in laws and in actions but also the opportunity for raising consciousness and resistance among the oppressed nations. Even those Latinos who supported imperialist politics had to think twice about the Arizona law as it could impact their persynal safety if they visit that state. The imperialists expose their blatantly chauvinistic goals with these reactionary laws and the alliances that create the laws and it is our responsibility to point out the contradictions and organize against imperialist national oppression.

Huey P. Newton, co-founder of the original Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, once taught that "the purpose of a vanguard group should be to raise the consciousness of the masses through
educational programs and certain physical activities the party will participate in."

MIM(Prisons) is actively involved, along with several groups and leaders, in the building of a United Front among lumpen in the U$ and has asked the questions, "what makes up the basis for unity among the lumpen?" and "what is the basis for unity between the lumpen and the international proletariat?"

I believe that the basis of unity among prisoners and the lumpen in general is our common oppression. We are all catching hell from a common enemy, that we all come from oppressive conditions - that your community and mine, suffer from the same symptoms caused by U$ imperialism - poverty, despair, mis-education in inferior schools, addictions of various sorts, pigs killing us, etc. This is the premise that I work from in trying to unite, educate and organize with prisoners.

The unity between the lumpen and the international proletariat should be based upon the fact that we all suffer under conditions created by our principal enemy: U$ imperialism. U$ imperialism and the political economy of capitalism are at the root of all the social problems that U$ lumpen and the international proletariat suffer from.

We seek to unite with all poor and oppressed nations and the people who are willing to unite with us around the primary goal of the destruction of U$ imperialism: our principal enemy. It matters not if one is socialist or communist at this time.

The United Front has been seen throughout history to be effective strategically and tactically in revolutionary struggles. Membership in a United Front does not mean that a group loses its independence to pursue its political objectives. It means that we all agree that we should work together against our principal enemy and work with each other on projects which push development of the struggle ahead.

Our analysis should include each of these forces able to reach consensus on the above questions. We should check thoroughly each proposal and the efforts put forth to realize them by the respective forces, the extent to which resources are acquired and how allocated, the level of priority given by each force to the realization of the effort.

Without a United Front our enemies will be able to continue to defeat us and repress our organizing activities. United, our work becomes that much more effective. The more groups involved principally, the stronger our movement will become and the greater our efforts will be in combating national oppression and imperialism.

Let us push forward the struggle by pushing forward the development of the united front. Without struggle, there is no progress.

Take you away from family so you can't provide support
Convict you in the newspaper, call you a demon in court
Fictitious jurors, bribed witnesses, withheld exculpatory evidence
Break your family's heart and spirit with a ridiculous sentence
Break your bank with attorney fees, fines and court cost
Spin you around in circles to keep you lost
Ship you to Timbuktu knowing it's a forever ire
Threaten your father and mother away from your side
Tamper with your mail refuse your visit
Intend to destroy my family, what else is it
Listen to your phone, charge an excessive rate
Make you wait years for an appeal date
During that while they harass wife and child
Crush their hope with a one line denial
Supreme court your last chance to file

Lawyer continually asking for more money
I keep paying because of the game he playing
Just a little more you'll be free for sure

Now he doesn't answer any of my phone calls
Supreme Court denied read the writing on the walls
Around and around in another circle
wife so frustrated her skin turn purple
Can't expect her to wait 180 years for her man
Would you? Welcome to the Federal Family Destruction Plan!

The Death of the Federal Family Destruction Plan

To break free we developed our own plan
After a long fought battle victory close at hand
dissected the situation found the root problem
Acquired knowledge so we know how to solve them

We understand how to defeat the prison machine
It's addicted to the green just like a dope fiend
We about to bring this scheme to a halt
You can't control the businesses we've bought

Everyday we find a way, family must correspond
You tried all you could, can't break our bond
You've abused, tortured, tried to take our breath
We comprehend exposure scares you to death

We've come together to sound the alarm
No longer prey, our work, our benefit, our farm
You've laughed, played us like fools, loved our misery
You not laughing now, intelligent tools has shown us victory

No more humiliation, slavery nor desolation
Closing the door on your new wave plantation
We educating and employing our people
Teaching our kids to advance beyond being equal

Control your own situation, through education
The way we make sure we reach our destination
Took back our resources, now we own the land
Seven steps to death for the Federal Family Destruction Plan!

Do you realize, it is not wise, your actions are absurd!
You know from history, there is no mystery, haven't you heard!
It's been tried again and again, successful it has never been,
you want to change reality!
Only an idiot would believe it, your report concludes the
opposite, but it's your story!

To follow a flawed plan, of a foolish man, is no less idiotic!
Federal SMU, they don't have a clue, their leader must be
psychotic!
Contractors keep on bribing, congress keeps on buying, greed
takes over the atrocity!
Employees union denying, administration outright lying, sacrifice
integrity for the money!

International courts condemn the practice, you must be actors,
lied to congress to get your wish!
You claim it's beneficial, in actuality it's detrimental, how do
you explain this!
Community communication, through human isolation, the theory
is ridiculous!
Add antagonization, mental manipulation, makes the hypothesis
preposterous!
where'd you get that data, like indicting a potato, the truth
you will always withhold!
It's a program, run for the sons of sam, one of the biggest
bullshits ever told!

Your stated objective, must be defective, the strategy is
really old!
Institutionalization, of the entire nation, seems to be your goal!
A laboratory experiment, who gives a shit, about some
federal convicts!
Just some lab rats, Stanford's second act, use them
for your benefits!

So what if they go crazy, ignorant and lazy, signed the
consent to make it authorized!
The ones who try to get wise, hasten their demise, to
keep the others terrified!
Keep it on the low, nobody needs to know, the true nature
of your enterprise!
When you get exposed, the doors will be closed, now it's
you being ostracized!

What you don't understand is any flawed plan, that tortures
your fellow man, must come to an end!
Just as before, those that work the store, shall face
the forgiver of sin via pistol or pen!
Don't see the danger, that's the avenging angel, you
must have made a mistake!
Thought he was nice, better think twice, your soul
he comes to take!

Now that he is here, no need to shed a tear, your path
is set in stone!
No you can not hide, before the foolish man by your side,
now he has left you alone!
But you knew all along, that it was wrong, yes you
assisted in the deed!
I too cry, because now you lie, soulless, heartless,
fertilizer for planted seed!

Give us rest, give us time
To sort out why our country doesn't realize
Torture laws and racism exist
And there's more to life than
Those Seinfield reruns you missed
As long as you have a Mazda Miata
With a full tank and a pack of smokes
You couldn't care less about 500,000 dead Iraqi children
Less names to intrude on your child's
Santa Claus naughty or nice list!?! folks?
A dead man hangs from an air vent
As a bunch of cowards laugh at him
But this man's dying breath
Pleaded for me to seek justice for him
And the justice will multiply a thousand fold
Because my strength is endless
I've chosen to pick up a revolutionary cause
And the world's vendettas
Against my supposed country
I'll carry the progressive red flag
And your overweight greedy amerikkkans
Will finally understand the meaning of sad
It's a true emotion that bubbles from within
Totally opposite than your sugar come down
And more human than your bullshit "sin"
Ring around the rosey and pop goes the weasel
Is that spittle on your lip Mr Vegetate?
Dialectics is jet fuel to your racist diesel
Give us rest, give us time
To sort out this mess we've made of our lives
Give us a chance to pay for our crimes
You have our bodies, some of our minds
What more do you want?
More pain and some fines!
Take his rigid body and cut it down
Call him worthless, call him clown
I called him friend, his mother's son
Look at his face, look what you've done

Stand tall, revolution's what I scream
Dreams shot down, Mr. Martin Luther King
Now look at what I bring to this Houston scene
See I'm the one who's trying' to turn the blueprint green
And that white mask red, I'm twice past dead
So I don't give a fuck what "the white man" says
I'm a G, so I know why the criminals need
to put a bullet in these new age General Lees
Because the only way they listen's if we enter a plea
We work hard for the money, a minimal fee
Mama girl has to work on a minimum wage
her little kids haven't even ate dinner in days
Just peanut butter & jelly, Skittles & Lays
How you expect for us to grow in such a pitiful place?
Our streets are planted with crackheads
families who lack beds
Drugs & guns leaving Hispanics & Blacks dead
Shit, with that said...
What's a brother to do?
Tryin' to make it on his own with a mother of two
Mr. Officer we don't want no trouble with you
We're just trying' to do, what we gotta do, to survive

Damn! Did you hear that?
[what]?
The sound of the ground rumbling
Building breaking
Broken bones moaning
Houses flooded
People drowning
Babies screaming
Families crying
Prison doors slamming
daughters in labor
Broken hearts complaining
Ice storms, rain storms, famished lands, traffic jams, ambulance, and car horns
gun shots
police sirens
courtrooms lying
and the sound of injustice hurting the survivors

Damn! You feel that?
[what]?
The biting wind of oppression
anxiety and depression
The womb of un-willing virgins
fatherless households
Empty spirits and lonely souls
Capitalism, prison systems, and bourgeoisies in control
Global anger and sadness from U$ military killings and war disasters

Damn!
[what was that]?
The world shaken by the hard fall of imperialist amerika

La mayoría de gente están ignorante de las atrocidades y tragedias que están pasando en estos campos de concentración. La gente escucha y cree las mentiras que vomitan de las bocas de los engañosos oficiales de prisión quien proponen que el idea que los prisioneros reciben "gratis" el cuidar médico superior a la gente en el mundo libre pero la realidad es algo muy diferente, aborrecible y siniestro.

La tasa de prisioneros fallecidos es irreal. En sólo un periodo de doce meses en los años de 2008 y 2009 seis prisioneros en la prisión de Holman ha fallecido y esto no cuenta los fallecimientos de presos bajo la pena de muerte por causas natural (i.e. causas negligentes) y esto está pasando en sólo un campo. Pero el chisme es que también está pasando por todo el estado.

Alabama es sólo uno en el numero de otros estados que han implementado la liberación "compasiva" a los encarcelados con enfermedades terminales. Pero, no hay nada compasiva en esta compasión; no es la razonamiento de los políticos u oficiales de prisión, esta provisión es tan compasivo como el conservadurismo compasivo de G.W. Bush.

Un prisionero había aprobado para libertad bajo de la provisión de la liberación compasiva por enfermedad terminal pero el día antes de que estaba apuntado para la libertación, falleció. Imagine lo que la familia tuvo que pasar, pensar y prepararse para su querido vuelva a casa 'mañana' y aprender que falleció en la mañana que iba para recogerle. Otro prisionero también selo aprobó y liberópero falleció el día después de su libertad.

Lo que es engañoso, siniestro y aborrecible sobre todos estos fallecimientos es que con el apropiado preventivo curativo de salud, la mayoría, si no todos, de estos prisioneros podrían estar vivos ahora. Los oficiales de prisión y los proveedores de cuidado médico quienes son bajo el trato con el Departamento Correccional de Alabama (ADOC) permiten que las condiciones médicos deteriorarse para ahorrar dinero en gastos médicos.

La gente debe entender que los oficiales de prisiones y los proveedores médicos de la prisión están matando a las personas por su renuencia a enviar presos a los hospitales del mundo libre y a los especialistas y proveer los medicamentos necesarios que los presos necesitan para sobrevivir, sólo para ahorrar dinero y obtener a cambio grandes beneficios.

En 2006, había un gran escándalo en la Facilidad Correccional de Limestone en Alabama. Limestone es una prisión de seguridad media que alberga también a los presos del estado con VIH / SIDA . El escándalo cuestionó el servicio médico allí. El médico de la prisión se quejaba de que los funcionarios de prisiones interferían y dictaban el tratamiento y los medicamentos que se dispensara a los detenidos. El médico declaró al periódico Birmingham News que el director de Limestone la había amenazado con el bloqueo a entrar a la cárcel si ella no dejaba de quejarse de los funcionarios de prisiones de interferir en asuntos médicos.

Limestone es también la prisión que en la década de los 1990 almacenó los cadáveres de presos con VIH/SIDA en el congelador de carne al lado de la comida usado para alimentar los prisioneros.

Todos los presos en Alabama saben que cada vez hay un médico nuevo y este médico muestra cualquier tipo de humanidad hacia los presos y cualquiera diligencia en proveer el cuidado propio, como el envío de prisioneros a los hospitales del mundo libre, a ver los especialistas, el mandar de pruebas caras o la prescripción de medicamentos costosos, no durará mucho antes de que ese médico se va.

Los prisioneros en Alabama tienen los exámenes físicos anuales programados. De mis 25 años encarcelado en Alabama, no he tenido más que mi altura, peso, fiebre y la presión de mi sangre, me quitan sangre cada tres años, exámenes de tuberculosis (TB), unas preguntas de fuego rápidas que me hace y ya es todo.

Hay mucho más descuido, incompetencia y negarse que puedo decir a sobre el cuido de la salud en este mundo de pesadilla, lo de arriba debe ser suficiente para golpear tu conciencia y tu acciones para luchar por un mundo donde el explotar, la esclavitud y el sacar provecho de otros no son los motivos para cada intento, un mundo mejor si es posible.

MIM(Prisiones) responde: en general, nosotros no creemos que los americanos están informados al nivel inadecuado sobre las condiciones en prisión y cuando le explicamos que horrible es…sus conciencias se van a despiertar y será la motivación por sus acciones. En Americans: Oppressing for a Living, explicamos cómo los constituyentes americanos demandan que sus representativos y legislación sean "duro con el crimen". Sus intereses subjetivos en el bienestar de los prisioneros es un reflejo de la falta de programación de la educación, apoyo a los liberados, así como la atención médica aborrecible para los prisioneros. A pesar del dato, los americanos van a continuar quejando que "los criminales están recibiendo mejor cuido médico gratis" que ellos, los americanos, reciben por lo que pagan. Y lo van a ignorar si pagan los impuestos al gobierno que en realidad se está cayendo en las bolsas de los mismos contratistas de medico quien están dejando a personas morir de causas preventivas.

Aquellos de nosotros que sufren en las manos de los anglo- americanos (gringos) o hacen suicido nacional deben de unirse para tomar parte de la lucha de este compañero para luchar por un mundo donde el provecho no será el factor motivo por cualquier intento, porque si es verdad, un mundo mejor sí es posible.

As of this writing I've been confined to a special management unit because, of all things, a drawing. The artwork however is not the problem, but what it supposedly represents. From a larger standpoint the censoring of such work is another form of passive cultural destruction. What they can't control they restrict. What they don't understand, they tend to fear. And of course the "they" I'm speaking of are those upholding Amerikan values of whitewashed virtues.

The drawing was one I chose to adopt because of its high symbolism and esoteric meanings. But because this symbol was first used by the Nation of Gods and Earths (Five Percenters), a branch of the Nation of Islam, which is deemed a "security threat group" within penal institutions in six states, I was also branded a threat. I have no affiliation with that organization or any gang. I don't adhere to the NOGE's or NOI's religious dogmas. I do however share in their militant outlook and agree, for better, with what they've done to reeducate Black youth to the realities of this system. Because of this they, and anyone even duplicating a representative symbol of such organizations, are deemed a threat.

I must assume the motivation behind the government labeling a peaceful, cultural religious organization as a gang can be found in a real warranted fear of this group's objectives. To name just a few: its obvious work in enlightening individuals about this police state, its very successful strategy in reducing the recidivism rate, and most importantly empowering youth to be leaders and conduits of true culture in their families and communities. These priorities, and numerous others, are something to fear, especially when privatized institutions can prospectively lose millions annually.

The programming of the masses through corporate-owned media propaganda has not been done haphazardly. Sensationalism, violence, stereotypes and desensitization through repetition of crime and cop shows has not only controlled opinion but has thoroughly turned people into mindless robots, keeping the rich in control, middle class happy and poor discontented but helpless. Any organization that exposes this government for what it is and directs its energies to providing and teaching what true responsibility is to a community, is one I'd gladly be a part of.

MIM(Prisons) responds:
We agree with this prisoner that the criminal injustice system has a real reason to fear any organization that is educating people about the prison system, working to reduce recidivism, and organizing oppressed nations. These organizations threaten their use of the prison system as a tool of social control. And it is true that the media plays a major role in promoting imperialist policies to the Amerikan people. However, this is not the only reason the masses are passive. Amerikan citizens are acting in their economic self-interest when they play the role of happy robot and accept imperialist policies. See our article Amerikkkans: Oppressing for a Living in ULK 2.

[This is a belated resolution from the MIM(Prisons) 2010 Congress.]

Overall, MIM(Prisons) stands by the Resolutions on Cell Structure passed at the last MIM congress in 2005. After 5 years of putting that resolution into practice there is experience to sum up and questions that still need to be answered.

The theoretical basis for the cell structure is that the strength of a centralized party comes into play when vying for state power, whether by elections or otherwise. That is not in the cards for Maoists in the imperialist countries at this time. Maoism is a minority movement in the First World and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future. This makes it even more important that we utilize our strengths and shore up our weaknesses.

One of the main lessons to take from the cell structure resolutions is that "[w]e oppose having geographic cells come into contact with each other face-to-face. Infiltration and spying are rampant when it comes to MIM. The whole strength of having a locality-based cell is that it is possible to do all the things traditional to a movement. The security advantages of culling people we know into a cell are lost the moment we slack off on security and start accepting strangers or meeting with strangers face-to-face." We find it frustrating that critics of what happened at etext.org as MIM faced repression are willing to ignore the lessons of those setbacks.

At the last MIM congress in 2005, they spoke of a "MIM Center" that put out the newspaper, among other tasks. Soon after, there was no MIM Notes newspaper, followed by the degeneration of the original MC cell and finally the shutting down of their last institution, the website at etext.org.

One of the challenges of small cells is developing and maintaining line. Much work has been done, and if every new group or every revolutionary had to start from scratch, we would never advance. That is why when etext.org was repressed, MIM(Prisons) posted an archive of the MIM site on our website. While we still do not have a regular newspaper for the movement as a whole, the website is a crucial reference for us all.

Fraternal organizations do not agree on everything; they agree on cardinal principles that are determined by the conditions of the time. The etext.org site is not something Maoists must agree with 100%, but there is no doubt that it is still the most comprehensive starting point for any Maoist organization in the First World.

Democratic centralism is important for security and for political line development. Yet until we are organizing on a countrywide basis, there is no need for democratic centralism at that level, not to mention internationally.

In guerilla warfare, the cell structure has been applied in a way that was hierarchical so that action cells were separate from each other, but each cell could be traced to the top of the organization. This relies on a centralized organization or center. While MIM mentions such a center being based around MIM Notes and etext.org in their 2005 resolutions, we do not see the need for this center given the current circumstances. As we have recognized before, certain ideological centers are bound to exist based on the law of uneven development. Yet such centers are not structural, but fluid, based on the type and amount of work done.

All that said, there is an inherent contradiction in the cell strategy. Since organizing strategy and security tactics are not dividing line questions, once the cell strategy is adopted and full decentralization has occurred, it is possible for cells to change their line on this question. Even the majority could do so and a new centralized party could push remaining cells to the periphery. Since we work to build a movement and not our individual organizations, and our work is already on the periphery, we should not be concerned about the impacts of such a move on our organization. It is, however, worrisome to the extent that we see our comrades opened up to attacks through faulty security.

Part of accepting cell strategy is distinguishing between cadre work and mass work. The self-described anarchist movement is able to mobilize large numbers in mass work while abhorring centralized organization. We should learn from their example, while not succumbing to liberalism in our security practices or abandoning scientific leadership.

Getting the correct balance of cadre work and mass work will be more challenging with a cell structure. There is no way to impose a balance on the movement as a whole without a center, but we can pay attention to what is going on around us and get in where we fit in. Leading cells should not be shy to point out where the movement needs more investment of resources.

One amendment we would make to the "Resolutions on Cell Structure" is to cut the suggestion that a one-persyn cell "in many ways... has the least worries security-wise!" Certainly, one-persyn cells should maintain high standards for admitting others. However, the value of criticism/self-criticism on the level of day-to-day work is something that is stressed within Maoism, and we've benefited from in our own practice in MIM(Prisons). We still need democratic centralism with the cell structure to provide crucial discipline and accountability. The criticisms we can give and get from other cells will be limited in nature if our security is correct. And we have seen how one-persyn cells can degrade or disappear quickly.